Dictionary.com doesn't list this word, and it can't be found on Merriam-Webster.com , but I did a google search and came up with several hits, most notably a publisher and a fanfiction site for Harry Potter! I find it to be a very interesting word, and wonder that it's not in the dictionary. Odd. Seems like that would be right up Webster's alley...

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

There has been a lot of rain the last couple days. We have huge puddles everywhere.

Every little boys dream.

Making paper boats and racing them in the puddles!

J and his friends decided to make paper boats so they had an excuse to play in the water. They each came up with a different design and put it together themselves. I thought I'd join in so I made a simple, folded-paper style boat. I ended up making 2 of them because one of the boys broke his boat before it even made it into the water.

The heaviest looking boat was the one that actually won the race. He was smart enough to put some kind of sail on his boat to help catch the wind!

I took the opportunity to play around with my camera. I chose a very small puddle to play in. I don't like ruining my shoes anymore. Now, if I had a pair of galoshes....

Monday, March 29, 2010

This is my entry for the I Heart Faces weekly challenge. It was taken with some cruddy old camera that was a refurb cheapo deal. I was still saving my nickels and dimes to buy a nice camera. So this photo has been altered in PSE. I coverted it to greyscale and tweaked it with a filter. It's not too terrible, I guess. I don't know about dramatic. My hair definitely qualifies as dramatic, though! I was the only one in town rocking an asymmetrical 2-tone shortie.

I miss my black hair.

If you'd like to check out some really awesome photos, head on over to I Heart Faces and enjoy!

Wouldn't you know it? This week is Spring Break for all the kids in the neighborhood - except mine! How do I keep doing that?! I guess if life didn't twist and turn and throw a few wild pitches we'd be able to stay on schedule. We got a bit behind due to that impromptu trip to Michigan last week. And, to be fair, we were a bit behind anyway, just because I like having a totally flexible schedule and sometimes I flex it a bit too much :)

For a Monday, the day went tolerably well. I hope tomorrow goes a better, obviously. We need to focus on getting caught up and getting ahead. I'd actually like to finish the school year by the end of May if humanly possible. Right now it's looking like the end of July - which does NOT work for me! Nor will it work for the kids, I'm sure. I wonder how much I can push before they snap? Before I snap?

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Sunday, March 21, 2010 No pictures today. Too busy packing to head north to check on Mom.

Monday, March 22, 2010 Since we were staying at Chad's mom's house, Sheri and Connor stayed for the week so we could finally get to meet the little guy. What a cutie!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 Grandma has a closet full of games and numerous toys to keep the kids busy. Everytime we visit this is the one game that gets hours of play time.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 Mom is definitely feeling better now. The kids went with me today to hang out with Grandma. She was feeling goofy and made J wear a Tigers hat. She agreed to sport the Braves hat, but only for this picture!

Thursday, March 25, 2010 While I was washing laundry and packing up for the trip home to FL, Dad and J played around with the bow and arrows. Archery seems to be something both kids are intrigued by so I'm hoping I can find somewhere local for them to try it out.

Friday, March 26, 2010 We got home about 9:30 this morning. I made J rest because you just don't get a good nights sleep in the car. He missed last nights game but was determined to play tonights game. Despite being tired he played a great game. This shot was taken just after he scored and was on his way back to the dugout. He had some great plays in right field but I can't take pictures of that stuff yet - need a better lense and a couple more hands!

Saturday, March 27, 2010 When Chad got home from work he decided that we weren't going to do a lot of work at the concession stand today. He just wanted to get some movies and veg for the night. So we picked up New Moon, some snacks and some ice cream to make malts. yum :)

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Despite missing practices all week and Thursday night's game, J was a starter for Friday night's game. Rather than the usual 2nd base or Center field, Coach decided to try him on 3rd base. J played a lot of 3rd base last fall so the position wasn't new to him. He was definitely ready for some action...it just never happened.

J had 2 at bats tonight. The first one he was walked and the second he struck out. He prefers striking out to walking anyday...but it's best to get a hit!

I managed a quick shot as he ran by me after scoring. When I have to juggle the scorebook and the camera, somethings gonna give...too bad it was the pictures...I need to train a replacement soon - or hire a photographer. It was a pretty good game. The Diamondbacks won 10-0. So another shut out on the books. Go Diamondbacks!

Friday, March 26, 2010

This past week has been very out of the ordinary. I received a phone call last Saturday night from my sister saying that our mom had had a stroke. A minor one, but a stroke none-the-less. So Sunday morning we packed up the car and headed to Michigan.

I spent the week with my mom, and thankfully she has recovered very well. Still some issues with her right arm and ear, but her chiropractor thinks some of that is from repetitive stress.

On the upside of this whole ordeal, I did get to see most of the family for the first time in almost a year. And I got to (finally) meet this little guy

Connor Jacob! Isn't he adorable?! We spent some quality time together. I think he likes me cause I got the ultimate approval markings: baby spitup. Yeah, gross, but I'm a mom, I can handle it :)

So, Mom is better. I got to see most everyone. Met the newest member of the family. And now I'm back in sunny, humid Florida. Onward...

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

In today's materialistic society it is quite easy to inadvertanly amass an excessive collection of bits and bibelots. Oh, this is cute! Oh, that is darling! I simply must have it! Wouldn't this look perfect above the kitchen sink? I have the perfect spot for this. I really don't need another one, but it's such a good deal!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Sunday, March 14, 2010 These pretty little clovers started peeking out from under the cacti. They were so cute I decided to give them their own photoshoot!

Monday, March 15, 2010 Another baseball game tonight. K took some pictures of J for me since I was keeping the book and couldn't put down my pencil. It was a pretty good game, though the only hit J got was his left arm :(

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 The weather is warming up! I decided to get some shots of my new nail polish while enjoying the springy (and cold) grass. The air is warm, the ground - not so much.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 We went to the Y again today. We've been trying to get there at least 3 days a week to really take advantage of those free passes. I figure if we can't get over there when it's free, we probably don't want to spend the money to pay for membership!

Thursday, March 18, 2010 The boys had a sleepover since D is heading home to Oregon this weekend. We went to the baseball fields to watch a game and then came home. We watched a bit of TV and then let the boys play their video games until they passed out. Aren't we nice parents?!

Friday, March 19, 2010 Chad has discovered yet another toy on his new phone. This time it's streaming video. There is a bit of a delay, but it's still pretty cool!

Saturday, March 20, 2010 Time to say good-bye! So long, D! Safe journeys and hopefully we'll see you again. Whether that's here or there...

Sunday, March 21, 2010

It's just so hard to say good-bye to a good friend. But it was time for D's family to head back to Oregon now that the Florida weather is warming up. They'll make the trip over a couple weeks, enjoying the scenery and visiting friends and family along the way. We sure will miss them! Safe journey!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

anything. I just need to get out the paper, the pencils, the markers, the glue. I dig out the paints and the brushes. I find my inks and my stamps. I go through the stash, looking for anything I might want to work with. And then I remember...I have no place to work. If it doesn't fit on the kitchen table-ette and it can't be done while perched on my end of the couch, then it's not gonna happen! So I have all these ideas, bubbling around in my head and they're just stuck there. They tool around, sticking themselves into my conversations. They poke their heads out when I try to read a book. They wag their tongues when I start smaller craft projects, screeching with indignation that I chose to do something else. It really does get noisy and crowded up there.

I suppose it's a good thing this whole full-time RV life is coming to an end soon. Just not quite soon enough for my creative self. (She gets a little crabby when I take away the scissors.) So, until that day comes, I'll stick to knitting on the couch and putting pictures into my Project 365 scrapbook.

Friday, March 19, 2010

227 Rows! I'm not even half way yet. I have the pattern memorized now, so that speeds things up a bit. But I still have to make my little tick marks on the pattern so I don't lose track of the rows. I'm also cheating a bit and marking the rows I need when it comes time to sew the edges together to make the loops. This way, I'm not having to count out all those rows again! Safety pins are a girls best friend!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Sunday, March 7, 2010 Chad and I went to Sam's Club to get all the supplies for the concession stand. While we were there, we picked up the new grill. I got to put it together :)

Monday, March 8, 2010 Tonight was J's first baseball game. I didn't get any pictures :( by the time he was up to bat it was dark and I didn't want to use the flash. But with the time change, I should be able to get some pictures next week, I hope :) So after the game I was still a bit keyed up, so I pulled out my new yarn, found my pattern and picked up my needles and started a new knitting project! This one's for me :)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010 I either hurt my arm from putting together the grill, or hurt it knitting...which is more likely? So no knitting today :( I pulled out my new notebooks and started sorting all my crafting ideas from all my knitting patterns and put my recipes in a separate folder. I've been meaning to do this for a while. Now I have a place to put all those neat ideas I run across from time to time!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 We spent the afternoon at the baseball fields again today. While Chad and I were working in the concession stand, he took the kids out to field #2 and had them set the fire hose on it. They had a lot of fun lugging that hose around.

Thursday, March 11, 2010 Today the kids and I went to the YMCA. March is free for non-members to try out so what better way to see if the Y is a good fit for us! I used the treadmill and the kids jumped from activity to activity. They had a lot of fun.

Friday, March 12, 2010 Rain, rain go away, come again some other day. No baseball for us tonight :(

We did go to see Alice in Wonderland since we couldn't play outside :)

Saturday, March 13, 2010 Chad did not work in the concession stand today. Don't let the apron fool you. He showed up just in time to watch us finish cleaning. He did do a little bit - like cleaning the fryers and doing inventory. It was me that spent the entire day in the concession stand! 7:30 am to 6pm. That's a long day.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Sledding is one of my favorite winter activities. My kids love it just as much as I do! We were lucky enough to live in a town with a nice big sledding hill next to the school. This is one of the many photos I took during one of the numerous sledding trips we've enjoyed. I miss the snow...*sighs*

This is my first entry for the I Heart Faces website. It looks like such an amazing community. I can't wait to dig in and get to know some people, have some fun and learn something new! Click the link if you'd like to join in the fun!

I was tooling around the internet, looking for some inspiration, and I decided to pop in to 2peas and see what was going on, take a peek at the new hot products, get some fresh ideas for scrapbook pages. I was NOT disappointed! Check out some of these great finds from Little Yellow Bicycle!

Clothesline Fabric Flowers

Clothesline 10 Things Pocket

Clothesline Fabric Embellishments

Generation Z Clear Cut Film Strips

Generation Z Fabric Tags

Generation Z Metal Gears

I am so in love! The Clothesline products are so beautiful. I could easily use several of those products! And the Generation Z?! Those are totally rad, man! hehe...ehem... in fact, they are quite popular, as every item I looked at was already SOLD OUT! I'm so putting these on my wish list! So, any family/friends reading my blog can hop on over to 2 Peas in a Bucket and pick up a few of these for my stocking!